Joint meeting with Select Board
Present: Jen Richardson (Chair), Kimberly Firth (Vice Chair), Dawn Gezelman, Beth Downs (Select Board Representative), Laurie Colburn (joined the meeting at 6:20), Tim McKenna (joined the meeting at 6:45)
Also attending: Mel Pfeifle, Select Board; Marlene Freyler, Select Board; Karen Hambleton, Town Administrator; Fire Chief Bryan Nowell; Police Chief Ed Shaughnessy; Road Agent Steve Hall; Jim Raymond, Deputy Fire Chief
Meeting called to order at 6:07 pm
Review minutes from January 11th meeting:
Motion: Beth Downs moved that the minutes of the January 11, 2024 meeting be approved as written.
Second: Dawn Gezelman
Decision: 4-0, all in favor
Revisit Operating Budget:
Revote Police Department Budget to accommodate gross appropriation of grant.
Motion: Dawn Gezelman moved to increase the Police Department budget by $8,200 for a Highway Safety Grant. The amount must be paid then will be reimbursed. Reimbursement will be budgeted as revenue. New Police Department budget total is $635,471.
Second: Beth Downs
Decision: 4-0, all in favor
Revote Patriotic Purposes Budget to accommodate gross appropriation of fireworks.
Motion: Kim Firth moved to increase patriotic purposes to $20,000 to include gross appropriation of $15,000 for fireworks. Donations will be budgeted as revenue.
Second: Beth Downs
Decision: 4-0, all in favor
Legal Services Budget
Motion: Dawn Gezelman moved to increase the Legal Services budget by $40,000 for a total budget of $66.000. Karen explained this was based on the advice of town counsel to litigate two pending cases.
Second: Beth Downs
Decision: 4-0, all in favor
Revisit Warrant Articles
• The Committee decided they did not want to take a recommend or not recommend position on warrant articles that did not affect budgetary expenditures.
• The Committee approved the rewording of articles that had previously been voted to be recommended.
• Article: “To see if the Town will vote to adopt the provisions of RSA 31:95-c to restrict one hundred percent (100%) of revenues from Bradford Police detail assignments to expenditures for the purpose of purchasing new police vehicles. Effective January 1, 2024, such revenues and expenditures shall be accounted for in a special revenue fund to be known as the Police Detail Special Revenue fund, separate from the general fund. Any surplus in said fund shall not be deemed part of the general fund accumulated surplus and shall be expended only after a vote by the legislative body to appropriate a specific amount from said fund for a specific purpose related to the purpose of the fund or source of revenue. (Majority ballot vote) Select Board Recommends.”
Motion: Dawn Gezelman moved to recommend the article as written.
Second: Beth Downs
Decision: 4-0, all in favor
• Article: “To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00) to fit up, furnish and equip the Town Hall. This will be a non-lapsing appropriation per RSA 32:7, VI and will continue until the money is spent or December 31, 2029. (Majority vote required.) Select Board recommends.
Motion: Kim Firth moved to recommend the article as written.
Second: Beth Downs
Decision: 5-0, all in favor
• Article: “To see if the Town will vote to establish a 2024 Ambulance Service Expense Overage Expendable Trust Fund under the provisions of RSA 31:19-a, for the purpose of funding Ambulance Service expenses that exceed the budgeted amounts for such services. Further, to raise and appropriate the sum of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00) to be placed in this fund and to name the Selectmen as agents to expend from this fund. This appropriation will come from unassigned fund balance. (Majority vote required.) Select Board recommends.”
Motion: Laurie Colburn moved to recommend the article as written.
Second: Kim Firth
Decision: 5-0, all in favor
Adjourn meeting at 6:25 pm
Motion: Beth Downs moved to adjourn the meeting.
Second: Dawn Gezelman
Decision: 5-0, all in favor
Respectfully submitted, Kathleen Bigford, Recording Secretary